A Brief History of Videogame Legislation 30
Joystiq is running a new column by Dennis McCauley (who you may recognize from the Game Politics blog). This week, he's got a post up looking at the history of gaming legislation. Starting in the 90s with the creation of the ESRB, McCauley walks us through some of the more notable skirmishes gaming and the body politic have had with each other. From the article: "In 2002 the city of St. Louis took the Indianapolis law one step further, prohibiting not only coin-op play, but retail sale or rental of violent games to minors. Different approach, similar fate. The 8th Circuit Court tossed the law for much the same reasons that doomed Indy's. A city attorney expressed bitter disappointment, called the Federal Court ruling 'a blow to the parents of St. Louis County and the kids.' That was three years ago, and, last time we checked, St. Louis hadn't been overwhelmed by a GTA-like wave of youth violence. As a matter of fact, youth crime levels have been trending downward for years."
Derelict Legislators (Score:5, Informative)
Mid 1990's Carmageddon contributed to violence (Score:4, Insightful)
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Carmegeddon had all the reality of the Coyote and the Roadrunner cartoons.
You lose credibility outside the gaming community when you build your defense on patently false and misleading analogies.
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We got busted for the board version of that (Score:2)
In the early 1980s, my high school lunch monitor cracked down on our playing of a board game similar to Carmageddon. Actually it was based more on the old Mad Max series of movies -- I think it might have been called "Car Wars."
The pretext used against us was that rolling dice would be a horrible precedent to set in the high school cafeteria. 'Cause we all know how very, very innocent 17-year-olds are. Wouldn't want anyone starting a game of craps.
We weren't even killing pedestrians -- just having some
Goes back further than 1990. Even 1980. (Score:5, Informative)
Before that, they whined about Exidy's Death Race [klov.com] (1975), and Chiller [retrocrush.com].
And at home, in 1982, there was Custer's Revenge [classicgaming.com] for the Atari 2600 console.
And from its very invention up until the 70s, people had to go to court to prove that pinball [aol.com] was a game of skill, not a game of chance, and that pinball machines were therefore not illegal gambling machines.
For everything fun, there's gonna be some idiot with a (D) or an (R) beside his or her name telling you not to do it. Fuck 'em all.
Re:Goes back further than 1990. Even 1980. (Score:4, Interesting)
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Politicians like Mrs Clinton who can forge links bewtween the inner city and the suburbs get the win when it matters. Rockstar has been tamed. "Bully" won't be the game it might have been before Hot Coffee.
Video Game Law (Score:4, Informative)
Eventually the old farts will die off (Score:3, Insightful)
What is it you want for parents to "buy into"? (Score:2)
I have no problem with the ESRB in fact I think its a good idea, but until parents are responsible to buy into it, its not going to work.
I'm not clear about what you think parents aren't doing now? What do you propose to make them "responsible to buy into" the ESRB?
Being a parent who does pay attention, I'd just like to know.
The Political calculus (Score:4, Interesting)
Sondy's subsequent press release asserted that "86% of 16 year old boys play these [violent] games." Asked why she'd want to alienate 86% of (then) 16 year old boys, some of whom will be eligible to vote this November, and the rest by her next re-election cycle, she responded, "They won't vote anyway."
This, like the DOPA Myspace censorship legislation [slashdot.org] that just passed the US House with only 15 dissenting votes (roll call [house.gov]) seems to me pretty shortsighted for a Party that will be competing in elections not just in '06 and '08, but on into the future.
MySpace more like MyFreaks (Score:2)
I've been harassed because I blog on Xanga. I had one person in particular that left me very threatening comments. Every time I'd have him bl
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If the parent has a "reasonable expectation" that supervison and/or care would be provided to the child, then yes, they are...
Sorry...I'm not wild about it, but it is what it is. Personally, I think that unless the parent signs something that the parent *ought* to be responsible. Unfortunately, that's not how it works.
Espeically if the child is being dropped off for some kind of guided activity, etc. Some libraries have stopped having "Readin
for the children (Score:1, Insightful)
And that sums up why it is bad law. It is law that does not 'help' the community but polices parents. Stopping crime, building better roads, better infrastructure etc... Yet they want to legislate morality.
I'm surprised (Score:2, Interesting)
Comparison? (Score:2)
What I would really like to see is an article that gives a side by side comparison of the legal
Another personality type that supports this... (Score:1)
Functional Legislation (Score:2)
The verbage of the sign should be this stuff - http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp [esrb.org]
2) It is illegal to sell video games rated M under 18. It is illegal to sell video games rated A or not rated to anyone under 21.
3) ID showing proof of age is required for any game rated "M"
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2) Age restrictions based on ratings are prior restraint and are very, very unconstitutional. It's one thing to have a court decide what is in violation after the fact, and an entire different kettle of fish to have someone decide that before the product hits the shelves. You brought up pornography, so it's salient to note that there is no rating system that determines what is pornographic in the states. That has to be proven in court after the fact. This is the only r
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It's not unconstutional. We do it with all kinds of products all the time, INCLUDING those protected by free speech. There are precendents here. Send your kid into the local quickie mart and see if they don't ID him